The Cursed Lady of Büren Castle

It is said that deep beneath the old castle of Büren lies a cellar that no one has entered for centuries.
The air down there is as cold as the breath of death, and if you put your ear to the stones, you can sometimes hear a faint whimpering—as if someone were still trapped there.

A long time ago, a proud noblewoman named Alena von Büren lived in the castle.
She was beautiful, but cruel.
No servant dared to contradict her, for anyone who did so would disappear—it was said that Alena locked them in the castle's deepest cellar "as punishment."

But one day, a young priest from Paderborn came and warned her: "Your heart is dark, Lady. Repentance will redeem you, or your own spirit will rot down here."

Alena just laughed – and had him thrown into the cellar as well.
But that night, as the storm swept over the castle, the earth shook.
A scream echoed through the halls, the candles went out –
and by morning, Alena was gone.

The servants found only her silver spear, driven deep into the ground, and on the cellar wall – a bloody handprint.

Since then, it has been said:
When the wind whistles over Büren, one hears chains grinding below in the old walls.
And sometimes, in the window of the vanished tower, one sees the pale face of a woman, pale as the moon, with eyes of ice.

She wanders through the cellar vaults, searching for souls who, like her, cannot find rest.
And when someone speaks too loudly about her story,
the lights flicker – for then she knows that someone remembers.